Communities will be given the power to create more allotments in their areas,
ministers will announce today.

Under new neighbourhood planning powers, which are being trialled around the country, residents will have the right to set out where they want new allotments to be established.

The move will be announced by Greg Clark, the Planning Minister, at the same time as the Department for Communities publishes for the first time data showing that the number of communal gardens fell under Labour.

Between 1996 and 2006, the allotments numbers fell from 7,800 to 7,000, with individual plots down from 295,630 to 245,000.

Over the same period, the numbers on waiting lists for an allotment rose from four per 100 plots to 59.

The data was commissioned by the last, Labour, government, but never published.

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Mr Clark said that the new Government was committed to ensuring that allotments remain available to communities for years to come.

Under the terms of the Localism Bill, communities will be able to create new “neighbourhood plans” which, among other things, will allow them to specify the exact location of sites for new allotments, and those that they want to protect for the future.

Once a neighbourhood plan had been independently assessed and passed by the community in a local referendum, a council would be obliged to adopt the plan.

In one of the trial areas, Bermondsey, in south London, the community is looking at whether green space on council estates could be used to provide allotments, as part of their neighbourhood plan.

Mr Clark said: “More and more people want to grow their own vegetables but sites are becoming unnecessarily difficult to come by.

“We need to stop this decline in allotments especially as people are so eager to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

“People who get behind neighbourhood planning and develop a plan have real powers to not only protect existing sites but create more plots for the whole community to enjoy.”

Donna McDaid, National Secretary of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners added: “It is great news that people can now help ensure allotments remain available to communities for years to come.

“We are always being told to be environmentally friendly and to reduce our carbon footprint wherever we can, and allotments can go a long way in helping us achieve that.

“There is growing interest in community grown food, and allotments have an important role in providing space for groups to grow their own produce.”

The combined plots in England and Wales are capable of producing more than 240,000 tons of food – equivalent to 116 journeys by 40 tonne Lorries each week.

Earlier this week, David Cameron denied reports that the Government was planning to scrap laws dating back to 1908 which protect allotments.

Speaking during Prime Minister's Question Time, he said: “I think it is extremely important that allotments are made available.

"Many people will find in this House when they ask in their own constituencies, there are massive queues for allotments as many people want to take part in the activity of growing their own vegetables and growing their own food and understanding more about where food comes from. It's a great movement and it has my full support."